There is something glorious about a sunrise. Like everything else in this world, God made it for our pleasure. I cannot begin to describe the breathtaking beauty of the colours and patterns some mornings as they dance and radiate across the horizon; they give me goose bumps. No two are alike, and every sunrise is an announcement that we are experiencing a new beginning. God is calling to us and inviting us to join Him in a day of adventure.

That first Easter Sunday morning must have truly been the biggest and best ever! I wish I could have seen the sky light up as the glorious sunrise unfolded when the Son rose from the dead! There are no words to describe it!

Do you see the Son rise each day? Do you anticipate an adventure with the Lord? Are you ready to follow Him, or are you absorbed in doing your own thing? The victory of Jesus over death, the worst that this world has to offer, gives us hope to tackle the challenges of each new day.

Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (NKJV)

Ecclesiastes 11:7 – Truly the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun. (NKJV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, wake us up every morning with the energy and directions we need to join in service with You. May we not miss the sunrise; may we not miss Your best for us because we were blind and did not see the Son rise. In the strong and mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!

For centuries, people have written about the cross, attempting to find words to describe the physical experience and the spiritual significance of the occasion. There are no words! Nevertheless, the determined, inferior mind of the human being continues to try to accomplish the impossible! Our Creator Father in His love for us accepts our feeble attempts and understands our limitations. God knows that we have a heart for Him that cannot be ignored. After all, He created us in His image; therefore, the Spirit within us must respond in some way to what we feel. Again, there are no words!

With our hands raised to the heavens, we shout, "Thank You, Jesus; Thank You, Abba Father! All worship, praise, honour, and glory be given unto You." With our face to the ground, we cry out, "Forgive us for being the cause for Your indescribable suffering and pain." Because God is holy, we cannot enter into His presence in our sinful state. Because God desires that we share a relationship with Him, there had to be a way of cleansing us from our sin. Jesus is the Way! He paid the price for sin when He shed His blood, suffered unbearable agony, and died for us. By God's grace and mercy, our sins are forgiven and our praise is accepted — miracle of all miracles! There are no words!

The cross represents great sorrow and great joy, combined with death and resurrection and life! What a tremendous story we have to share with the world!

John 3:16-17 – This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. (MSG)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we express our thanks for what the cross means to us, may we be consumed with the urgency of sharing Your message of love with all whom You are calling to be Your children. In the holy name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!

In my mind and heart, I walked today where Jesus walked. He was moving up the crowded Via Dolorosa, the traditional route to Golgotha, with a heavy cross upon His back. He heard voices exclaim as He passed by, "What is happening? We don't understand. Isn't He the man who healed our sick?" Jesus felt eyes watching in disbelief, hearts breaking with every step He took, yet He determined to continue His march.

Others standing by were indifferent to the Man, ignoring His pain and turning their backs, stopping up the ears of their hearts.

I walked today where Jesus walked, feeling the pain in His body and His heart. I cried out to God, "Father, deliver Him!" I cannot fathom God's love or understand how He bore the pain, giving His life so that I could live.

Then I seemed to see what He saw, and my heart was stilled; my breath caught in my chest. As Jesus approached the hill, instead of seeing it as a place where He would die, He saw the faces of God's children, who would become His Bride, the Church. He did not see the suffering, but the joy of redemption for His people. I dropped to my knees.

I saw Jesus, His body torn and bleeding, hanging on the ugly cross which represents our sin, and He was asking God to forgive those who had put Him there. Then the cross faded out to be replaced by a "city on a hill", His Church. Through my tears, I saw people from all races and nations raising their hands and voices in praise and thanksgiving for His sacrifice on our behalf. I understood the victory over sin and death that happened on the cross. I am thankful beyond words!

I walked today where Jesus walked, rejoicing in His love, feeling His love for me, ready to tell others His story.

Isaiah 62:4b – You will be called the People God Loves, and your land will be called the Bride of God, because the Lord loves you. And your land will belong to him as a bride belongs to her husband. (NCV)

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You, thank You, thank You! In Your holy name, we pray. Amen!

A friend of mine who is a worship leader was given the name and phone number of a prospect for his praise band. He called the person and immediately began telling the man of the need at church for a percussionist. The man indicated that he was interested in visiting the church and seeing the "set up". At the conclusion of the conversation my friend said, "Well, John, I'll look forward to meeting you Sunday." To which the man replied, "My name is Todd, not John, but I'll still see you Sunday?"

By the hand of God, the worship leader had dialled one digit wrong in John's number. By the hand of God, Todd and his band of three entered church for the first time on Sunday. Looking rough around the edges, the young men marched to the front row, and began to observe that they were warmly greeted and genuinely accepted by the membership.

They found a place of belonging and love among God's people, and several weeks later committed their lives into Jesus' care. Their past lives had been spent making worldly music, but now as their transformation occurred through the Holy Spirit, they were led to new heights in making music God's way.

What a story they tell, all because God caused my friend to dial one "wrong" digit in a phone number.

In a world that is sceptical of "church" and "God", it is important that Christians "everywhere tell of [God's] mighty miracles". Do we live in active expectation that God will intervene miraculously in our lives and in the lives of those around us? We serve a living God!

Prayer: Thank You, heavenly Father, for the opportunity to see You working through Your children to change lives for Your honour and glory. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

When I was a little girl, we headed to the Smokey Mountains in October to enjoy the beauty of the trees in their fall dresses. I quickly discovered how much fun it was to wave at the people who sat rocking on their front porch. They always waved back as if they knew who I was and were really glad to see me. I soon learned that it wasn't just me they waved to, but that was okay; I was still happy.

It also works well to wave at the engineer of a passing freight train or the passengers in a boat passing by, but when driving around town, have you ever tried waving enthusiastically to a person you happen to pass whom you don't know? The other day, I experimented with waving at strangers, and guess what I discovered? No one knew how to wave back! I wanted to stop, get out of my car, and explain how much fun it can be to play the waving game. I wanted to tell them that smiling and waving is good for us.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store; neither the cashier nor the person bagging my items smiled, though I smiled at them. As I headed for the door, in passing, a young employee had a big, genuine smile on her face, and she said, "Have a nice day!" I stopped in front of her, thanked her for her beautiful smile and greeting, and told her that my day would be better because of her.

Some days are more challenging than others, and we may not always feel like smiling and waving, but the rewards are worth the effort. Scripture reminds us:

Proverbs 15:13a – A glad heart makes a happy face. (NLT)

Nehemiah 8:10b – Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! (NLT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we be diligent to share with others the joy which we experience through knowing You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

A ceramic nativity set became a part of our family Christmas the year we moved into our new home, when I was four years old. Mama would tell folks that my favourite place to reside during the Christmas season was in front of our little manger. One day, she heard a voice singing in the living room, and she began calling my name. When she entered the room, she saw me on my knees in my accustomed place in front of the manger. I turned to her and said, "Shhh, I'm singing to Baby Jesus."

What a joy to be able to sing to Jesus and know that He listens and responds to our time with Him. I pray that you have a special place in your home where you can kneel and sing praises to Jesus.

Listen to the music of Christmas: "Joy to the world! The Lord has come!" "Hark! The herald angels sing", "I heard the bells on Christmas Day", "Away in a manger", "Mary, did you know?" Through music, God provides a way for us to praise and thank Him for sending Jesus as our most treasured Christmas gift. By combining the Word of God and His inspired music, we will experience joy and blessings as we praise and worship our Father in heaven.

God instructs us in more than 400 references in the Bible to sing praises to Him. For example:

Psalm 147:1 – Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! (NLT)

We know that singing the Scriptures is an excellent way to memorize the Word. Here is another favourite passage about this truth:

Colossians 3:16 – Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. (NLT)

Psalm 95:1-2 – Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. (NLT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we worship You afresh in the music of Christmas! In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

As there were for the apostle Paul, there are still so many pressing and perplexing troubles. We see our personal problems, family problems, church problems, community problems, regional problems, national problems, world problems. How can we handle it all? We can't. Our hearts, minds, and spirits will bend under the weight; we will collapse and break. What is the answer?

We put blinders on a horse so that it won't be distracted by what's going on around it; it will stay focused on what is in front of it. Our faith in God is like spiritual blinders. God must be our focus; He will carry the load for us. It's not that we become unaware of everything that is going on around us. Instead, our trust that God is caring for us changes our attitude to the troubles so that they are not so distracting. He will instruct us on how to handle all of the various problems, and they may even become opportunities to minister in His name. Apart from Him, we can't accomplish anything. Apart from Him, we will crumble under the pressure.

2 Corinthians 4:18 – So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (NLT)

Isaiah 26:3-4 – You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (NLT)

Prayer: "Then I pray to You, O Lord. I say, 'You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.'" (Psalm 142:5 NLT). May our focus always be on You. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.